Cooper and Wright discuss Stargate Universe

In a recent interview, head honchos Robert C. Cooper and Brad Wright have spilled a few more beans on the upcoming Stargate Universe.  I’ve picked out the juiciest details, but the full interview can be found here.

While the teasers that have been aired so far for Stargate Universe (SGU) have been very dark (see “Frantic” and “Philosophical”), there will definitely be humor in the series. The teasers, created by Sci Fi Channel, are meant to set a mood and an energy, but the characters will have innate humor. The show is set in the here and now, and even in bad situations, people make jokes.

The aliens on SGU will be very alien. They won’t be humanoids with prosthetics, and they won’t speak English. They will be as alien as you’d hope to find in the far reaches of the universe.

The show will shoot in New Mexico in a couple of weeks. Those will be scenes from “Air Part 3″³. They’re really looking to find new ways to have episodes that aren’t set in trees.

The style of SGU is different from the past. Cooper doesn’t believe they are emulating Battlestar Galactica. But, they want to shoot the show more like how a documentary crew would shoot on the ship if they were there documenting it. So cameras will be in non-standard places. The sets will be lit naturally, such that the actors can move around as if they’re on a stage, rather than having to be in one place for lighting reasons. Already as a result they are getting far more “real” performances from the cast. Viewers will feel as though they are there. It will feel less staged and less unrealistic. They hope this will help viewers connect with the characters very closely. One show they did look at as an example to draw from was Firefly. It was shot with hand-held cameras or non-traditional camera placements. So Firefly and other dramatic shows were somewhat an inspiration.

There will be two gay characters on SGU. Cooper started to say there would be one at least, and Wright clarified that there will be two. Cooper and Wright want the crew to represent our society, with all its complexity and realism. They want it to be identifiable to as many people as they can. Not for ratings, but to portray humanity.

The pair also discussed their intention to create a Stargate Atlantis movie, and noted that the third SG-1 movie would revolve around O’Neill and would not feature Cliff Simon as Baal.